Beauty Box Swaps Acrostic Poem

Best for all things beauty box
Everyone welcome*
Anniversary celebrations
Universal obsession
Totally Addictive
Younger and older sisters


Buy and sell
Only official Beauty Box Swaps
Xtra special community


Swap things you won't use for stuff you will
With lifelong friends to be made
Always someone to share with
Probably the best swap group in the world
Supportive and welcoming community


Win a Latest in Beauty Skincare Stars Box generously donated by LIB by entering here.


*everyone welcome unless they abuse the trust &/or goodwill of the group

New thirty-one make up bag

Yesterday I went to TK Maxx with my sister Ruth aka Minibreak Mummy. I found a most excellent make up bag by a company called thirty-one. I succumbed to the bag because I loved everything about it. They had thought of everything, so many zips, pockets & removable inner bags.
When I returned home, with my find, my husband challenged me by saying 'I bet you can't fit all your make up in your (beauty) boxes in that bag'. 

the empty bag

removable inner bags

existing make up storage

getting organised

with the removable inner bags

8 boxes of make up tidily tucked up 

in one most excellent cosmetics bag :)

Beauty Box Swaps Birthday

29th July 2012 was Beauty Box Swap's first birthday. I feel very proud we have reached our first anniversary.

Here is our story so far...

Once upon a time there was a girl called Lucy Brown. Lucy discovered Glossy Box when her friend Eileen shared it on Facebook.  Although Lucy was low maintenance and not a big fan of beauty products she loved receiving presents and was instantly captivated by the concept of being sent a box of surprise gifts every month. Lucy was too late to sign up for the legendary May 2011 Glossy Box but was lucky enough to subscribe from June onwards. 

It was through Glossy Box that she discovered BIOeffect a magical serum that turned back time on her frown lines and other signs of aging. Lucy soon realised that BIOeffect was her 'Stardust' and if she did not use this enchanted elixir she would revert to her previous deeply wizened appearance. Unfortunately her Glossy Box only contained a tiny vial of the potion. Lucy pondered how she could get her hands on more of this vital dew. At first she tried posting on Glossy Box's Facebook page sadly this did not prove fruitful.

Then she realised that she needed to come up with a better idea. Eventually she realised it would be easier for herself and others to swap if there was a dedicated Facebook page for swapping Glossy Box products. And so it came to pass that Glossy Swaps was born. However her excitement was short lived when the rulers of the Glossy Box kingdom determined that they would prefer not to have a lowly swaps page associated with their name. 

Lucy was in despair she loved Glossy Swaps but realised that it would be unfair and unjust of her to use the Glossy Box branding without their approval and consent. Fortunately Lucy  had a beautiful and wise sister called Ruthy aka Minibreak Mummy and she came up with a new name for the page: Beauty Box Swaps. Lucy soon realised this new name was even better because other monthly boxes of treasure were becoming available to subscribe to. The next box in the kingdom was Boudoir Prive (now Jolie Box) and other boxes then came to be including: Amarya, Carmine, Feel Unique, She Said, Amitee, Lux Box & Betrousse also Latest in Beauty periodically offered exciting one off boxes too.

In time as the popularity of Beauty Box Swaps grew she realised that it was time to develop a brand identity, again lucky Lucy was able to turn to a beautiful and talented sister for help. Her sister Alice used her artistry to conjure up a logo exactly in the image that Lucy had dreamed of. And to this day this logo is in use to reinforce the Beauty Box Swaps brand.

Along the journey of the first year of Beauty Box Swaps a fair and beautiful princess Sarah of Southampton provided gracious and wise assistance to Lucy and she soon realised that Beauty Box Swaps would not thrive to it's full potential without Sarah's practical and spiritual guidance. Never had Lucy come across a maiden so stunning and yet so spectacularly sage.  

As Beauty Box Swaps approached it's first birthday Lucy decided that it would be lovely to be in a position to gift her swapping sisters with treasures to mark the occasion, as her own means are unfortunately meagre. She called upon the Beauty Boxes for help. Much to her delight one by one they came forward with offerings for the celebration. Lucy danced with joy as Amarya, Amitee, Betrousse, Latest in Beauty, Lux Box and She Said all rewarded her audaciousness with gifts.

These gifts can now be won by fair maidens of the Beauty Box Swaps community on the original Beauty Box Swaps page where this story began twelve short months ago...

What adventures do the next twelve months have in store for Beauty Box Swaps... ?

Diary of my Pink Hair by Lucy Brown aged 40 & a half

On Monday 9th July I decided the time had come when I needed to dye my hair pink. This was not a popular decision with either my best friend or with my hairdresser. But It was just something I felt compelled to do.
I realised if I didn't do it now, I probably never would. The timing was right. Benefit are fundraising for Refuge and I hoped I could raise some extra funds for their campaign. I was also planning to attend a pink and black themed birthday party on Saturday 14th and had no pink accessories so a radical change of hair colour was my only option wasn't it?
I am concious that at 40 I am not getting any younger. I recently had a crisis over some very silly shoes from TopShop which I realised if I did buy them they would have to be my last hurrah of silly shoes as it turned out I resisted them and I am coming to terms with the fact that I just may just not buy any more silly shoes, although it must be still ok to wear the ones I already own, right?
So I think the pink hair decision is rolled into the whole I'm getting to old to wear silly shoes and have pink hair mid-life crisis.
On reflection as potential mistakes go I re-assured my bessie & my hairdresser that if it was a disaster I could always go brunette or it could be bleached out. I also realised that if it didn't work out well I wouldn't feel as self concious/miserable as I did when I had alopecia areta 2010/2011.
My hairdresser reluctantly booked me in for an appt. on Thursday 12th. I took the picture below while I was waiting for her to arrive. The look I was aiming for was a pale pastel dirty pink colour.

Before being pinked

This is the dye she used

In progress...

After Being Pinked

The next day ready for work

How it looked that evening

How it looked at the Pink & Black themed 

Birthday party

How it looked this morning one week on

excuse the make-up free morning face

I am pleased with the result. I have received lots of lovely compliments. I am now just seeing how it continues to look over the next couple of weeks. Although I am glad that I went ahead with pink hair on this occasion I have no plans to repeat the experience... but you never know

If you would like to make a donation to Benefit's Mascarathon in aid of Refuge please use the link below: http://www.mascarathon.co.uk/

What's In my Handbag

A few weeks ago on the wall of Beauty Box Swappers, the group that runs alongside my Facebook page Beauty Box Swaps, I spotted a link to What's in My Handbag. I was curious to see what this website is all about and clicked the link without hesitation.
The concept is an appealing one: 'Peek inside beauty, fashion and creative insiders' handbags and discover the beauty products they really use and love.'
You can upload pictures of your own handbags. I am finding this challenging to do I have lots of favourite products and cherished items I want to share but I am struggling to make them look good together in a photo. I have so far only uploaded this handbag.
There is also a weekly opportunity to register to try 'the beauty products everyone else loves'. I have so far been lucky enough to receive one 'Try': the Percy & Reed Dry Conditioner. It arrived as delightfully packaged as the referral reward gift featured above.
WIMH are currently operating a referral scheme with rewards. I am very fortunate to be able to reach lots of lovely beauty minded ladies through Beauty Box Swaps. Thanks to my swapping sisters using my referral link to join the site I have received two reward gifts from WIMH this week.
For referring 25 people they sent me a £25 gift of beauty products and for referring 50 people they sent me a £50 gift card from Selfridges (I believe they have since amended this gift to £25). I am so grateful to my fellow Beauty Box Swappers for helping me to receive these much appreciated treats.
Having £50 to spend on myself at Selfridges is something that has only occurred once before in my lifetime and that was when my in laws treated me and my sister in law to Mac make-overs with £50 each to spend a couple of years ago. I am beyond thrilled and also slightly overwhelmed at the prospect and the possibilities offered by this exciting plastic card. I can't express how delighted I am with this gift and how thankful I am to WIMH and everyone who clicked my referral link. You may have to wait a while to see what I spend this on as I am planning on spending it, in my imagination, several times over.
For those of you who are interested to see what I received in my beauty products gift, here it is:

I am ashamed to say when I first opened the box I thought 'is that it?' But I quickly admonished myself as I realised monthly subscription beauty boxes have given me a distorted perception of what to expect for £25, after all you would get 5 times as many products in beauty box currency, unrealistic in the real world.
I received a Filthy Gorgeous Polish in Noelle and a Omorovicza Correcting Pencil including sharpener.  Being a big fan of candy pink polishes I've not made my mind up yet about the polish. However I am wowed by the correcting pencil :) My 40 year old skin has many imperfections to correct especially redness. I have quickly tested this pencil on one side of my face and it left it looking relatively flawless. I am personally not a fan of concealing under my eyes as in my opinion it can sometimes make me look worse. But this wonder pencil definitely improved the look of this area.
I have never previously heard of this premium brand. WIMH also thoughtfully included a 43 page Omorovicza catalogue so I can read about their product range. However their products are rather beyond my means, it's a shame you can't buy Omorovicza in Selfridges or I may have been tempted to point my gift card their way.
To those who hoped I would use these prizes in a give away. I am very sorry to disappoint but I personally appreciate and value these gifts too much to give them away. Those who know me well will know this isn't through any lack of generosity on my part but for other valid personal reasons.  

The June Glossy Box

Apologies it's been such a long while since I have blogged a beauty box lovlies.

I have studiously taken lots of photos but never quite got round to doing the write ups.

My June Glossy Box arrived yesterday, as did many other subscriber's boxes and as the owner/founder of Beauty Box Swaps I couldn't help but notice the resulting controversy and outcry.

This reaction and my own impressions of the box have inspired me to finally get round to writing a beauty box review.

First of all I was amused by the cheeky Glossy Box spin on the contents card 'We all know lugging around heavy luggage can be a pain but this summer you can jet around like a pro and lighten the load with the gorgeous miniatures found inside your GLOSSYBOX. Did they really mean? 'Sorry if the contents of your box look a bit sparse this month and we were unable to provide the majority of you with any full size products

Want to know which of the controversial box variations I received? Read on below:

GLOSSYBOX Serie Exclusiv Pro Beauty Brush

The only full-sized product in this months box is a GLOSSYBOX branded brush. I have only ever bought one make-up brush in my life this one. Otherwise I have relied on receiving them as gifts I have a body shop set off my sister Minibreak Mummy some Celia Birtwell brushes off my sister Hannah and some Cosmopolitan brushes off my sister-in-law. I also own the Jolie Box concealer brush from you guessed it Jolie Box & the Japonesque smudger brush from Carmine. Make-up brushes always come in handy I find. Also as I am not vegan I personally have no ethical concerns about this brush being made from goat hair it will not put me off using it. I agree it does currently have an odour (if you hold it close to your nose), does it smell of goat? what does a goat smell like anyway? I've fortunately not been close enough to one to find out ;-) to me it has a smell reminiscent of leather however I am certain once I've washed it with Dr Bronners magic soap and used it a couple of times it will smell the same as all the other random brushes in my collection. Should this have been a beauty box item? or an extra gift? I personally rate it at a higher value than the free compact mirror in the birthday box. What's your opinion? In mine it's a keeper.

MEMEME COSMETICS Sensuous Nail Gloss

5ml bottle. I tried the colour on my toe nails and it didn't offend me. I will now use it on my fingers and share the results with you (as I am not so cruel to inflict pix of my toes on you readers). My verdict is that I like the polish and will keep it and use it. It is not a colour I would normally choose as I am a fan of candy/barbie pinks. Although I am not in love with this polish it is wearable and I can see it working well with Ciate Beach Melba for nail art purposes. Did you get this polish? Have you tried it, what's your opinion? it's a keeper for me.

BM BEAUTY Summer Warmth Bronzer

1g pot. I am getting quite a collection of mineral cosmetics from beauty boxes see pic below from my album in the Beauty Box Swappers group. I am actually coming round to the idea of trying these products rather than swapping them. Once upon a time this would have been an automatic swap but I'm curious about minerals so another keeper for me. When I tried this product I was again reminded how fiddly and messy minerals can be especially in the hands of someone who is a bit of a messy clutz who's dad didn't call her Paddington Bear for nothing. Is it just me or does this bronzer look a bit metallicky looking? What did you think? This is a keeper for me if only for further mineral make-up experimenting. 

CAUDALIE Eaux Fraiches

10 ml spray. I got the yellow one and yes I agree with Jo BeautyandtheBooks that when you first apply the perfume it does bare a resemblance to lemony toilet cleanser. I may swap this product because I don't really love it or need it & they seem desirable and collectable to some beauty box swappers so it seems daft to hold onto it when it will be more appreciated and likely to be used elsewhere. I would be interested to try the pink and the green versions if anybody wishes to swap or send me a perfumed hanky or note ;-)  This one is a swapper for me, any takers?

VICHY Dermablend Ultra-Corrective Foundation Cream Stick

6 x 1g samples. Since I have been working on a beauty counter I have become more self-conscious/vain about my appearance. I find that as the day goes on my high coloured nose, surrounding area and chin tend to start to show through my carefully applied layers of make-up. So I am really interested to try this and if I like it I will buy it or possibly do what I usually do if I like a beauty box product and swap like crazy for it. The kit is a good idea in my opinion because if you like the product you can colour match in the comfort of your own home. I can also see it being useful in an MUA kit as a swapping sister mentioned in her blog. I have just tried this product in the OPAL shade on half of my face and I am quite impressed. Do you rate this product? or can you recommend any alternatives? In the meantime Glossy Box scores another keeper for me and appreciation at them introducing me to a problem solving product.

The ones that got away... I would have been thrilled with the HD Tweezers as I don't own a pair so they would have been very useful. I would have been happy to receive the Paul Mitchell Conditioner as I have two daughters who are both growing their hair so conditioner always comes in handy in the Brown household even if it doesn't prove a hit with me. Both these products would have automatically qualified as keepers for me.

Although this month's box was, in my opinion, by no means a wow box, on reflection, it has been an overall success for me. This conclusion is gauged on the fact that I have tried all the products this month and I am only planning on letting one of them go and that's only because I think it will be appreciated more by one of my Beauty Box Swaps community members.

If you are interested in subscribing to Glossy Box please use my referral link: http://www.glossybox.co.uk/invitation/NDAwMQ==?utm_source=Customers&utm_medium=link&utm_term=NDAwMQ==&utm_campaign=Refer-a-friend/ You will get 20% off with the code DV20OFF

If you were disappointed with your Glossy Box and would like to give She Said Beauty Box a try please use my referral link http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=4112&id=137445with the 25% off code SSBLOVE25

Beauty Box Swaps List 7

Items new to the list are **item**. 
I am looking to swap the cosmetics I won't use for products that the products that I will use, these are:


BIOeffect
Sachajuan
New CID I-pout Lipsticks
Bath Salts including Himalayan
Plum by Mary Greenwell
Eldora Lashes
Studio Make-up Eye-liner Pen
Benefit That Gal (only if you are 100% certain genuine)
Benefit Hello Flawless Shell (only if you are 100% certain genuine)
Dermalogica Thermafoliant


I am also open to other offers but don't do body lotions, hand creams or face creams.
I currently have the following available for swap or sale, make me an offer!
Please note all products listed are unused/immaculate unless stated otherwise.


The products that I won't use:
Make-up
BM Beauty Eyeshadow - Wolf Howl (1g)
BM Beauty Eyeshadow - Storm Cloud (1g)
NYC Glitter Eyeliner - 945 Starry Blue Sky
Revlon Super Lustros Lipgloss -Raisin Glaze
**Bellapierre SP003 Champagne**
**Collection 2000 CreamPuff Powder Puff 2**
**Collection 2000 CreamPuff Angel Delight 4**
**Rimmel Colour Rush Duo Eye Shadow 321 Walnut Pearls**
**Technic Aqua Max Lashes** unopened & sealed
**Bare Minerals Foundation Sample & Mini Brush - Medium Tan**
**Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner the grey one unboxed**


Nail Varnish
Deborah Lippmann - Razzle Dazzle X2 
**Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Eel Skin**



Face/Hair/Body


**Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm 75ml** nb. Metal tube is heavily dented but remains fully sealed**



Body Stuff
Discover Me by La Senza Indulgent Body Cream (100ml) 
Gorgeous by Gok - Body Mask (200ml)used once
Gorgeous by Gok - Rich Moisturising Body Butter (180ml)
Purely Yours by Gok - Body Lotion (125ml)
Purely Yours by Gok - Body Butter (180ml)
Kelly Brook Couture Sensual Seduction - Body Perfume Spritz (100ml)
Kelly Brook Couture Sensual Seduction - Silky Body Lotion (50ml) 
Bamford Geranium Body Lotion (50ml)
Molton Brown enlivening toko-yuzu body lotion (30ml) X2
Dead Sea Spa Magik Silky Smooth Body Lotion (50ml)
**FAB Body Moisturizer (2oz)**
**Clarins Extra-Firming Body Cream (30ml)**
**Comfort Zone Body Expert Kit (10 X 6ml sachets)** nb. swap at own risk some people have reported adverse reactions


Hand Cream
Kelly Brook Couture Sensual Seduction Hand Lotion (50ml)
Purely Yours by Gok - Hand Balm (50ml)
Boots Time Delay Hand & Nail Cream SPF 8 (50ml) X2(packaging is slightly soiled)
Arbonne FC5 Ultra Hydrating Hand Cream (15ml)


Face & Eye Creams/Serums/Oils


Comfort Zone good night kit
CETEUM SCR GOLD Creme de Lite(5ml)
Espa Super Active Lift & Firm Intensive Serum (8ml)
YON KA Vital Defense (5ml)
**YSL Forever Youth Liberator (5ml) £10(inc p+p) or good swap**
**Nick Lowe Oil Control Day Cream (20ml)**
**Ernlo Laszlo 5 mini sachets from She Said**


Hair


**Leonor Greyl PALME (25ml)**
**Paul Mitchell smoothing super skinny relaxing balm (25ml)



Facial Bronzer


**Ambre Solaire Perfect Bronzer Self-Tanning Cream Face (75ml)**





Perfume
Fracas de Robert Piguet Eau de Parfum Sample (0.8ml) tested
Etat Libre D'Orange Like This Tilda Swinton Sample (1.5ml)tested
Etat Libre D'Orange Archives 69 (1.5ml)x2 tested
Etat Libre D'Orange Rien Sample (1.5ml) tested
Davidoff Cool Water Wave Woman Eau de Toilette (30ml)tested a few times approx 85% left
Cacharel D'Eau Eden (50ml) 95% remaining please note I've had this a number of years
Angel by Thierry Mugler Celestial Showers Shower Gel (25ml)
Angel by Thierry Mugler Celestial Body Cream (15ml)
Flower by Kenzo Eau De Parfum (4ml) approx 5% used & the green stem has worn off the bottle unsuitable as a gift